BUSINESS PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

An oral presentation follows the routine procedure - beginning, middle and the end. In other words, we can call it the Introduction, the main part of the Presentation and finally the conclusion. Let us take a close look at the format.

OPENING:
At the very beginning of a presentation, that means while introducing the topic, the present/(s) must not waste too much time in giving background details. The introduction must immediately capture the attention of the audience. If it is a formal presentation, then the presenter must state his name and position before beginning the presentation. But if it is an internal presentation within an organisation, then straight away the presentation can be begun.

(a) Rapport :
It is important for the presenter to strike a rapport with his/her audience. Rapport can be described as an invisible but direct relationship between the speaker and the audience. This rapport can be established by pointing out a common point between the speaker and the audience. For example, the presenter can refer to a remark made by an earlier speaker, express happiness, joy or even concern at the topic of presentation, or any other relevant observation related to the topic. The cheerfulness, friendliness and sincerity with which the presenter speaks the introductory remarks will determine the tone of the presentation and the audience's attitude. For example, Friends, it is my pleasure to present the new product XYZ before
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you, which if approved by all of us, will be manufactured by the Company in a short time. Ladies and Gentlemen, as you all know, we have gathered here to ponder over the reasons for our poor sales in the last quarter and to discuss the necessary steps to push the sales once again. Friends, we have assembled here today to finalize the plans of opening a new Manufacturing unit in Chennai. My findings, as you will shortly see, point out that Chennai is the most suitable city for the manufacturing of our soaps and detergents. Thus, each speaker must choose a suitable opening expression and arrive straight at the point.

(b) Focusing attention :

The audience's attention can be focused in a number of ways. Every Presentation has a central point; and the presentation should be related to that focal point only. The following ways can be used to bring the audience's attention on to the central issue/point. Try to anticipate at least two-three questions that the audience can come up with. Ask those questions and then be prepared with the answer which should immediately follow the questions. For example: 1. Why did our sales decline inspite of such a high quality of our product? Primarily because it was priced too high. There are other reasons also... 2. What steps can be taken to improve the sales? First of all increase the budget for Advertising. Secondly, I believe, we need to make our packaging more attractive.
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 Make a pointed statement of facts and figures. For example: 1. The average cost of our mobile handsets is around Rs. 10,000, which means we are losing out on customers who can only afford low-priced handsets. 2. The population of the city of Ahmadabad is apprx. 50 lacs, out of which we can safely assume that at least 20 lac people already use a mobile phone. So our target group should be the rest of the 30 lacs who will certainly buy a handset sometime in the near future. 3) Recollect a similar incident/event/system being adopted by either some other organization, or by the parent Company itself in the past. Relate that event to the present topic, thus further focusing attention on the issue.

Body of the Presentation:

The main part of the Presentation is its body. The central and the core issue is to be highlighted and focused. The Presenter must neatly divide his information in relevant points. Statistical data, charts, graphs etc. related to the point must be presented along with the discussion itself. The Presenter must avoid any reference to data later on at the end of the Presentation. Logic as well as chronology must be strictly followed.

Conclusion:
The Conclusion must clearly put forward the presenter's opinion and his/her proposed plan of action. The closing remarks moreover must leave a clear message. The closing must not be abrupt. Remind the audience about the main points raised during the presentation. An interesting, positive statement can always mark a successful end. For example: It is time that we put our heads together and evolve a new plan of action
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I/We firmly believe that diversification in our kind of business is a must. I/We can safely conclude that a new Manufacturing unit needs to be set up at Bangalore. The demands by the workers are justified, and therefore we need to chalk out a strategy to fulfil them.

Presentation
Presentation on the validity of "Setting up a new factory for the production of a Food Processing Unit". Presentation made by a member of the Consulting Firm hired by the Company.

Ladies and Gentlemen, My consulting firm was hired by RAM Food Products in order to examine the viability of putting up a factory in the state of Gujarat for manufacturing and packing eatable items. In my presentation here, I will discuss with the help of statistical data, how my firm has found the Naroda area of Ahmedabad city as the best suited area for our purpose.

(First slide on the screen) The first slide on our screen shows how our firm visited 6 cities of Gujarat. The first city we visited was Rajkot in the Saurashtra area. Though the industrial development of this city/region is tremendous, yet we found that the electricity supply is not very regular. There are frequent power cuts. In Surat, the preliminary inquiries led us to the important conclusion that the city administration is very slow and its responses to an outside unit
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for conducting business are rather negative. Next two cities, Vadodara and Bhuj have confirmed labour problems. The last city we visited before coming to Ahmedabad was the state capital Gandhinagar. It is ideal for our purposes but the district of Gandhinagar does not allow any smoke emitting industry to be set up. So finally Ahmedabad was our choice. (Second slide on the screen) Ahmedabad has some distinct advantages for setting up a new factory. Let us take a look at them. As the slide on your screens display, area wise and population wise, Ahmedabad is the biggest city of the Gujarat state. It is very often referred to as the 'Mega city' too. It has very well developed industrial areas which enable the setting up of a new factory. Land (Third slide on the screen) Land in Ahmedabad for industrial purposes is available in two areas: the Vatva area and the Naroda area. For our purposes a land area of 1200 sq. mts is adequate, which is easily available in the Naroda area, at Rs. 5000/- per sq. meter. The purchase will be done directly from the State Govt. Political atmosphere (Fourth slide on the screen) Gujarat is traditionally a business oriented state, and Ahmedabad has been rightly called the Manchester of the country. The political leadership is very favourably oriented and inclined towards establishment of new factories/business enterprises. Even the local administration was found to be very cooperative and enthusiastic. Electricity and water supply (Fifth slide on the screen) The Naroda area experiences non-stop electricity supply 24 hours a day
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throughout the year. Electricity is supplied by the Torrent Power Ltd. at commercial rates, but it is continuous supply. Water too will be available in abundant quantity as the Govt, now has water from the Narmada river through the canal systems. Labour (Sixth slide on the screen) Since Naroda is an industrial area there are thousands of migrant workers who have built colonies around the area. And hence labour can be had in sufficient quantity. The condition of wages, overtime and other issues will, of course, have to be sorted out. 1 lowever, that can be done when the factory has actually been set up. Raw Material (Seventh slide on the screen) Since ours is a food processing unit, we require fruits and vegetables as our raw material. In areas around the city of Ahmedabad, there are a large number of villages wherein vegetable and fruit farming is done on a large scale. So we will be able to get a regular and uninterrupted supply of fruits and vegetables. We could also have a meeting with the President of the Farmers' Union of the area who has assured us that supply of the same will be done, provided we give them an updated list at regular intervals. Transport (Eight slide on the screen) Ahmedabad is well connected with the rest of the country through road, rail and air. It has a very well-developed and well-structured transport sector, so we won't have any problems in transporting our wares across the country. Conclusion So, to conclude, the Naroda area of the Ahmedabad city is best suited for our purpose of setting up a unit of food processing and packaging. Thank you.
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Presentation Presentation by a student on the topic "Gender Bias in the Education in Gujarat" at a conference in Mumbai.
Introduction It is normally believed that in an economically rich state, like Gujarat, the educational standards are obviously evenly matched. That means the equilibrium between the male and female ratio of school going children is maintained in a high degree. However, statistics suggest otherwise. Though the state is making progress on industrial and the economic fronts, yet somehow, the Government has singularly failed to encourage its girl students to attend school on a regular basis. How gender bias has become a major obstacle to the education of girls is demonstrated by the number of girls attending primary, secondary, higher secondary and college. In my paper I have attempted to draw attention to this bias which finds its way in the girls' education in Gujarat in spite of the fact that it is a state which is doing singularly well on the economic front. Literacy levels among girls at the Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Level in Gujarat The state ranks a dismal low level as far as the number of girls going to school is concerned. This ratio is all the more low in the rural areas of the state. It is generally believed that the girl child is more suited for either household work or as a helper in the fields. This prevents her from attending school. As a result the literacy level among the girls was just 37% in Gujarat at the time of Independence. The situation has improved but not by much. The Government of Gujarat has launched a massive initiative to improve this ratio with the programme called 'Kanya Kelavni'. Indicative Factors for the low literacy level in an economically developed state.
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(A) Social: Social structure has played a very major role in the low literacy level among the girls. The vehement need for a male child has kept the girls bereft of their right to go to school. The money that a family generates is largely spent on sending the male child to school at the cost of the girl child. Plus, there is always a fear factor about the girl gaining too much independence and freedom after education. (B) Political: Lack of political will in tackling this burning issue has resulted in total apathy of the education of the girl child in the state. Policy formations like the mid-day meal scheme, providing free education to the girls at all levels have been implemented, but these efforts have not really generated the desired response. (C) Economic: This is really the grey area of the state. Economically, a state which has done so well over the past years, has somehow not converted its richness to support the girls' education. One of the reasons has been the easy availability of jobs which are comparatively well-paid. One of the purposes of education is to earn a living, and when that itself is getting fulfilled, the need to obtain formal education is not considered necessary. Steps taken by the Government to improve the opportunities in Education & its effects. Many steps have been taken by the Government to improve the situation and encourage more girls to go to school at all levels. These steps have been manifold. The state govt, has introduced the 'Kanya Kelavani' scheme which aims at providing education to maximum girls. The state govt, has directed its topmost officers to personally visit each district and track the progress of the girls' education in that area. Such steps are slowly beginning to take effect, but not in a huge way. There is still a lot
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that needs to be done. The Government must offer some incentives to the families of the girls to encourage them to go to school. Conclusion To conclude one can say that it is not necessary that economic progress of an area/region/state is directly responsible for its educational and social graph to be high as well. These are issues that need to be tackled separately and independently. Thank you.

Presentation
You are a consultant to the Samson Engineering Company based in Pune. Make a presentation to their Board of Directors on the prospects of establishing a factory for manufacturing agricultural implements, scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and Auto spare parts in Saurashtra. Gentlemen, I was entrusted with the mammoth task of assessing the prospects of establishing a factory for manufacturing agricultural implements, scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, & auto spare parts in Saurashtra. I present my findings as under. 1. Demand and Marketability Since the establishment of agricultural universities in India, the new generation of farmers has become aware of scientific methods of agriculture. Owing to mechanization of agriculture, the demand for agricultural implements and two wheeler auto vehicles has gone up. The Govt, and Banks offer loans and subsidy to farmers so that they can buy such implements and develop their agricultural activity scientifically. As such modern agricultural implements, motor cycles, mopeds and auto spare parts are in great demand now. At present there are only 10
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factories across the country, which fail to cope up with the heavy demand. A moped is just like a scooter. It has a smaller engine and its consumption of petrol is only two-thirds of the consumption by-a scooter. The company hopes to manufacture "geared" mopeds, which will have many of the advantages of a scooter. The demand for mopeds is expected to grow, because a moped is cheaper than a scooter. The company also proposes to produce motor cycles and auto spare parts. Production of spare parts will serve the purpose of feeding our own auto industry. The company will have no difficulty in marketing its products. It is also likely to find a good export market for the implements, automobiles and spare parts. I am therefore convinced that the proposal to establish a factory is justified. 2. Raw Materials The main raw materials for the production are steel sheets, alloy steel bars, brass and bronze bar forgings, pressure die castings etc. All the raw materials needed for production are easily available. I have made a number of enquiries and have been assured by many suppliers about a constant supply. 3. Site selection I visited many cities in the region of Saurashtra - Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar and Rajkot. 1 have found Rajkot to be the most appropriate site for the proposed factory. 4. Land There is a plot of land measuring about 3000 square meters in the industrial area owned by the Saurashtra Industrial Development
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Corporation, Rajkot. I think that this site will be most economical for the company because the corporation is ready to sell the land at only Rs. 1000 per sq. mt. Therefore, the total cost of the land will amount to 30 lacs. 5. Power and Water Supply The total power requirement of the project is 700 KVA. The Gujarat Electricity Board is ready to sanction this requirement. The Rajkot municipal authorities have agreed to provide sufficient water supply for the proposed industry on condition that the company constructs its own storage tank. 6. Labour Labour is readily available in Rajkot, and the labour charges are comparatively lower than those in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. 7. Transport facilities Rajkot is well-connected with other parts of the country by railways, highways and airways. The proposed site is only three miles from the railway station, two miles from the national highway and five miles from the airport. 8. Capital Outlay A detailed dossier on the capital requirement has been put for every member's scrutiny. Kindly go through it. The dossier clearly states that an initial investment of Rs. 50 crores will be needed. Finally, I would like to say that on the basis of the market conditions for agricultural implements, motorcycles, mopeds and auto spare parts are pretty positive. To begin with there might be some hiccups and resistance towards our products, but in the long run, with some patience, these products will gain reputation and will become profit earning products for
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the Company.

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